“Irish homeowners can now legally shoot anyone who enters their property,” irishcentral.com reports with incendiary inaccuracy. “A move that has been slammed by civil liberties campaigners in a row with Justice Minister Alan Shatter.” Anyone? Let’s try that again, shall we? “Legislation [a link to which we can’t be assed to include] has now come into effect that allows homeowners to use ‘reasonable force’ to defend themselves, their families and their property.” To quote the gatekeeper to The Land of Oz, that’s a horse of a different color. One that seems to have riled-up a lot of people. Well, the usual suspects . . .
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties, however, is highly critical of the change in the law but Justice Minister Alax Shatter has denied it is a “license to kill.”
Council director Mark Kelly has labeled the new law “lax” on home defense and is highly critical of the legislation.
Kelly said: “These are lax proposals, which contain insufficiently robust legal safeguards to protect the right to life of householders or intruders.“
Yes! Intruders are people too! We must protect the sanctity of all human life!
“The law encourages people to use lethal force to defend their property and is at odds with Article 2 (right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights which obliges the state to ensure that lethal force can only be used if absolutely necessary and strictly proportionate in all the circumstances.”
OFFS. Really? Who gets to decide what that means? Let me guess: unelected officials in Brussels and the judges they appoint. Only not anymore. Not in Ireland.
Could this mark a turning point in European gun regs? Saints preserve us! [h/t togunsavelives.net for the link]